There is a gate we all know well,
That stands ’twixt Heaven, Earth, and Hell,
Where many for a passage venture,
Yet very few are fond to enter:
Both dukes and Lords abhor its wood,
The prospect of it chills their blood.
Yet commoners with greatest ease
Can find an entrance when they please.
The poorest hither march in state
While drums are beat and parsons prate –
Yet e’en the gravest persons who advance
Cannot pass through before they dance.